TRAVELANDLEISUREASIA.COM 53
ILLUSTRATIO
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Mclassic creations. There’s a café, a
screening room for short films and
shows, a giant plush Catbus for the kids
to crawl over, and a shop to buy toys
and original cels. Tickets cannot be
purchased at the door, only in advance;
your best bet is going through a JTB
agent in your country before you travel.
ghibli-museum.jp; tickets ¥100–¥1,000,
children three and under free. — D.F.iFly Singapore
Skydiving may be insanely fun, but in
its purest form, it’s not exactly family
friendly. But iFly Singapore has made it
kid-accessible: with help from a verticalwind tunnel, anyone seven and up can
experience this “ride” that lets you
have that free-falling experience
without jumping out of a plane.
First-time flyers get “pre-flight training”
before embarking on an instructor-
accompanied jump. This is as close as it
gets to the real thing—with a safe
landing guaranteed. iflysingapore.com;
S$89 for The Teaser skydive, S$119 for
two The Challenge skydives. — L.L.Surfing in the Maldives
If you want to catch some waves in the
notoriously calm-watered Maldives, hit
one of the accessible surfing hotspots
near capital Malé. Resorts like the
family-oriented Holiday Inn Kandooma
(maldives.holidayinnresorts; doubles
from US$216) and Niyama Island Resort
(niyama.com; Beach villas from
US$1,392) have beautiful barrel waves
right off the shore. If the kids are too
young for hanging ten, you can drop
them off at the playroom while you’re
out getting stoked. Niyama’s Explorers
Kids Club, aside from being the largest
in the country, is the only one offering
programs for children as young as 12
months (ranging up to 12 years). — L.L.Jet-skiing in Langkawi
Fly over emerald waters, explore caves
and swim in a freshwater lake in the
middle of Dayang Bunting Island in a
jet-ski island-hopping tour with Mega
Water Sports. Even if you haven’t been
on a jet ski for decades, this company
offers a safety briefing and the guides
are encouraging and patient. Children
double-up with parents, and there are
even tour options for kids as young as
four. It’s a fantastic, fun activity for the
whole family, especially your
persnickety teens. Megawatersports.
com; tours from RM700. — PIP HARRYMUST-PACK: Fir st Aid Kit
Across Asia you’ll find pharmacies stocked with affordable medications,
but it’s way more convenient to bring your own items—scissors, pain
medications, bandages and anti-bacterial cream in case of minor scrapes
and stomach settlers for any belly aches. Start with something like the
Swiss Safe 2-in-1 First Aid Kit (swisssafeproducts.com; US$39.95), which
includes a mini kit for travel, and then personalize it for your family.Face your
fears on
Sydney
Harbour
Bridge.Jet-skiing in
Langkawi with
Mega Water Sports.Jet-skiing in
Langkawi with
Mega Water Sports.Vietnamese
culture
class on Con
Dao Island.Vietnamese
culture
class on Con
Dao Island.